California students pepper-sprayed

By eCampus News staff and wire reports

April 4th, 2012

Campus police pepper-sprayed as many as 30 demonstrators after Santa Monica College students angry over a plan to offer high-priced courses tried to push their way into a trustees meeting, authorities said, the Associated Press reports. Raw video posted on the Internet on Tuesday evening showed students chanting “Let us in, let us in” and “No cuts, no fees, education should be free.”

Students were angry because only a handful were allowed into the meeting, and when their request to move the meeting to a larger venue was denied, they began to enter the room, said David Steinman, an environmental advocate who is running for Congress as a Green Party candidate. Two officers were apparently backed up against a wall, and began using force to keep the students out of the room. Steinman said both officers used pepper spray…